The list of the world’s largest 500 companies by turnover contains a huge number of firms engaged in agriculture and food. And the trend continues towards a further concentration of power. Agrifood corporations are driving industrialization along the entire global value chain, from farm to plate. Their purchasing and sales policies promote a form of agriculture that revolves around productivity. The fight for market share is achieved at the expense of the weakest links in the chain: farmers, and workers.

A growing number of people are organizing themselves and are changing their buying habits to recreate diversity in the value chain. But that is not enough to end hunger and poverty or to protect the environment. The withdrawal of government from economic intervention is a major cause of the colossal environmental and climate damage and the global injustice that we see today. It is high time for a socially and politically oriented regulation of the agrifood industry. The Agrifood Atlas serves facts and shows why and how the road to a socio-ecologically oriented agricultural and nutritional industry must be taken.

Table of contents:

History: Supersize meWether protectionism or deregulation – the agrifood industry keeps growing. Mergers are making firms bigger all the way along the value chain.

Mergers: One group to rule them allA single private equity firm, 3G Capital from Brazil, controls some of the world's biggest food and beverage corporations. The company's aggressive takeover strategy is just the tip of the iceberg.

Plantations: Modern-day landownersNew corporations have emerged that buy or lease vast areas of farmland in developing countires. They grow monocultures to feed the industralized agriculture.

Agricultural technology: Digital manoeuvres – when tractors go onlinePrecision farming promises to revolutionize farm management. But it will only benefit large landholdings and capital-intensive agro enterprises.

Fertilizers: Chemicals for the soilSynthetic fertilizers increase agriculture's productivity, but do not improve soil quality. Manufacturers want to sell more – despite the high energy and environmental costs.

Animal genetics: In the beginning was the patentGenetically modified livestock are prone to disease and are difficult to market. But many labels are developing methods to further industrialize animal production.

Crop genetics: Juggling genesIn the coming years, seed companies plan to use genome editing to produce crops with new characteristics – and market them without having to state that they are "genetically modified".

Retailing: Expanding aislesFood shoppers in the developed world let the cash registers ring at the likes of Wal-Mart, Lidl, Carrefour and Tesco. The supermarket revolution is now expanding throughout the developing world.

Meat: Herd instinctThey are largely unknown to the public, but they dominate the world’s meat supplies. Much of the beef, pork and chicken we eat is controlled by just a handful of big firms.

Alternatives: Looking for a new wayAgroecology is a successful concept which promotes farming methods that are attuned to local ecosystems. It is already used for growing rice worldwide.

Capital markets: Investors care about growth – not about the growersSpeculators are increasingly placing their bets on agriculture. Capital flows into stock exchanges are exacerbating price fluctuations in agricultural commodities – to the benefit of funds and banks.

Working conditions: Pile it high, sell it cheapLabels on supermarket packaging trumpet all kinds of concerns for people and nature. But most have little impact on the miserable conditions endured by farm and plantation workers.

World trade: In control, not under controlInternational trade deals reflect the interests of the industry. Agrifood corporations want to keep a grip on the steering wheel.

EU Lobbying: Big business in BrusselsThe crowds of industry lobbyists trying to infl uence European Union policy often find they are pushing at an open door. They combine legitimate lobbying with underhand methods such as hiring government insiders and publishing quasi-scientific studies. The EU must recognize such tactics for what they are.

China: Public and private companies are reaching outThe world’s new economic powerhouse is located in China. Its land investments in Africa and Latin America have attracted headlines, but Southeast Asia is where it is making its influence most felt.

Rules: Market power and human rightsAgain and again, corporations fail to respect human rights. Voluntary measures are not enough: we need binding rules.